


Stormy Weather

by orphan_account



Category: SKAM (France)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Somewhat of a slowburn, enemies for a small amount of time, read notes for trigger warnings, will add tags through out the chapters so pay attention :))
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:14:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24346351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Lola Lecomte thinks the world is against her, and Maya is a really pretty girl that makes Lola feel like Maya is that world going against her.
Relationships: Maya Etienne/Lola Lecomte
Comments: 5
Kudos: 111





	1. Funny

**Author's Note:**

> tw - mentions of rape and drugs <3  
> -  
> 

_ 8th-Year _

“Jo! Shut up!” Lola scowled, she was so close to slapping her. They were in their 8th-year and Jo still hadn’t gotten out of her 6th-year phase. She giggled loudly and wasn’t at all affected by Lola’s words. Lola had her hair pulled up in a ponytail, while Jo’s still had her hair too short. Jo kept swearing every day she’d grow out her bob cut and every day Lola didn’t believe her.

The girl in front of them was behind a table of some kind of high school club. An apparently cool artsy club that Lola had no creative drive for, but Jo was all over the idea of old buildings. “You kissed a bunch of women at a wedding when you were 11 years old?! Damn, wish I had an earlier discovery of my sexuality like you..” The girl in front of them laughed at her,  _ laughed at her.  _ Lola turned her head in different directions just so she could confirm that no one was staring at them. Lola shoved the sleeves of her gray sweater down over her wrists and shrugged trying to not look affected by the heavenly sound escaping the high schooler’s mouth. Lola’s face was heating up, not only because of the embarrassing story, but because the girl was really pretty and she wasn’t sure why it made a storm rise in her.

If all high schoolers looked like her, Lola might die. She’s seen her sister’s friends. They may have been attractive, but they weren’t her type, not like she’d date her sister’s friends if they were. Although, one of the boys even seemed like they were gay but was stuck in the depths of a closet. “So you’re Jo?” the girl questioned and leaned forward against the table with her elbows. Jo nodded and eyed one of the artworks behind her. Jo had gotten to art last year and wasn’t very good at it, but Lola subtly supported her. “I’m Maya,” she said gently and glanced over to Lola. “And you’re of course, Lola.” 

Great. Lola now knows that Maya knows about her embarrassing history and has a name to put on it. There goes her future reputation, especially when she wanted her fresh new start. “Jo, I want to go check out something else, this seems boring,” Lola said coldly and Jo gave her a questioning look. Maya was frowning and looked like she was just slapped in the face. Lola was feeling immediate regret at the expression Maya played. “I, um, I don’t like clubs in general. It’s not you, it’s me-”

Jo snorted and Lola’s lips made a straight line. Can she stop being made fun of for one second? “Lola, are you breaking up with me?” Maya teased. Was she a joke to everyone? Jo was now laughing out loud in her obnoxious signature. What was so funny?

“I would never even date you,” Lola snapped and Maya’s face morphed into different emotions all at once, only to settle with a smile. So that may definitely be a lie. Maya said nothing, instead, she just grabbed a card and wrote something down on it. She handed it to Lola, the smile unchanging.

“I’ll see you next year,” Maya concluded. Yeah, next year, sure. That’s if she wasn’t sent to an institution to call her crazy every day.

_ Lola never went to an institution. _

_ 9th-Year _

“Fuck! I’m tired,” Jo exclaimed and slammed her bag down next to her when she sat down next to Lola. Her hair was at shoulder length now, but Lola didn’t trust it to still be there by the end of the first month of school. Lola’s hair was at her elbows now and half the time she was chewing on it or twisting it into loops around her finger like a ring.

“I can’t believe you actually signed up to that old building club,” Lola said and took out a pencil from her bag and started to scratch it against her desk. Jo without any hesitation went into the club that they checked out last year. Sure Jo looked interested, but Lola thought she was faking it because Maya was a pretty girl. Lola released the pencil and it strolled off the surface of her desk and to the ground making a clacking sound. Lola was going to reach it when a hand touched hers. The hand grabbed the pencil and set it down in front of Lola. 

“Honey!” the girl greeted and gave Lola a quick peck on the lips. She was a girl with dark skin and blonde-dyed hair, a 9th-year like Lola, and her name was Darla. Darla was fun, a bit preppy, but fun. Lola smiled and gazed at the other girl. "I missed you this morning? Have you taken your medication?"

Scratch that, Darla was amazing to Lola. She was always taking care of her even when Lola would lash out at her. They had met over the summer and for some reason, Darla didn't find Lola's snarky comments as funny as every single being on this planet thought. She was being taken seriously for once in her life. "Yes. I was just late for school."

Her mom made her late to be more spot-on on what Lola really meant. Apparently you all of a sudden can't drive because you downed two bottles of beer after your husband told you that you'd be dropping the girls off at school today. Daphné promised Lola she would get her driver's license as soon as possible so they wouldn't be late in a day of their lives anymore. It was doubtful, why should she even trust a word Daphné says nowadays? “So… I was thinking we could go to that urbex party?” Darla questioned. Lola lowered her eyebrows, that sounded really familiar before she realized that was what the club Jo was in was whispered to actually be about. Lola turned her head to Jo in the question of a party, not having heard of it till now.

“It’s only for people who join the club,” Jo grumbled and crunched a paper in her hands, her knuckles’ color going white. Such a short circuit. Darla made a noise and Jo stared at them as if deciding whether or not to invite them. “I can probably get you guys in.” Darla squealed in excitement, but Jo just looked annoyed. God, she was so dramatic, it’s not like Lola forced her to make them go. 

“Okay! Everyone, class is starting, get in your seats,” the french history teacher announced, Mrs. Soutien. She was always so smiley, she reminded her of Jo a lot. Darla rolled her eyes and gave one last kiss to Lola before going to her seat in the back. Lola slouched down into her seat and eyed what the window was revealing. It was Maya, she had a new haircut, and it was dyed a mint green. Lola stared at the girl that approached her. What the fuck? “Lola?” Alexia gave her a quick kiss on the cheek in greeting. “Lola Lecomte.” Were they a thing? Did Maya like Alexia? Alexia was with Arthur, right? Wait, this was so confusing. Why did Lola even care? “Helloooo?”

“What?” Lola snapped her head over to the voice. Mrs. Soutien looked surprised at the tone and laughed, the other students following after. She wanted to throw the chairs, she wanted to get in a car and destroy something. 

“Lola, she asked you a question,” Jo whispered over to Lola.

“Um, can you repeat the question?” Lola asked and more laughs followed after. She spotted the cup of scissors, they looked incredibly tempting.

“Why did the French want to pair up with the colonists against the British?” Soutien asked and tilted her head. She leaned her hip on the side of her desk with her arms crossed. Lola knows this, she should know this... Why doesn’t she know this?

“Because British people are fucking annoying,” Lola answered and once again there was disbelief on Soutien’s face. Students were ‘oo’ing and laughing from Lola’s answer, she wanted to laugh as well but she was too busy challenging Soutien.

“Well, how about you, John?” 

_ Check-fucking-mate. _

_ 9th-Year: Middle of the Year _

“Lola! Hey,” Maya greeted and gave her a quick unwelcoming side hug, “Your sister told me to tell you-”

“You were talking to my sister again? You’re so weird,” Lola said and turned back to the circle Maya had just shoved herself in. Lola lifted the blunt up to her lips and took a hit of it. Maya stared at everyone who was doing the same, practically judging everything that they’ve ever done in their life. Lola didn’t even remember why her storm had started because of Maya, maybe it was hatred. “Lola, Jo misses you,” Maya said in an almost whisper. She sounded scared to even say it.

Jo and Lola stopped being friends. 

It was at the urbex (which Lola had officially confirmed about the club) party when Jo decided by herself Lola didn’t care about her anymore. This was a lie and Jo was just making things up, her thalamus practically took up 90% of what her brain was. Lola and Darla weren’t leaving her out. Jo was just jealous that she had to always be the one third-wheeling them. That’s what Lola told herself, then again she tells herself a lot of things like that she was the one who broke up with Darla, not the other way around. Maya was a year older than her but she still pushed Lola’s buttons like a 3-year-old. “Fuck off, Maya,” Lola growled and stared up at her trying to talk to her silently. Nothing was getting through.

“Ah, you know what Lola did when she was 11?” Maya questioned, and that seemed to pique the potheads’ interest.   
“Maya-”

“She was so weird. Lola went to a wedding and kissed all the women she could get her lips on,” Maya said. Everyone was laughing at her now. Lola pierced her lips and glared at Maya. She felt like crying.

“Fuck off!” Lola shouted and stormed off. She needed to blow off steam. She pulled her phone out and was about to text Aymeric when a message from Instagram showed up on her screen. Who is benny.taxi? Lola popped open the text and her eyebrows frowned. Lola looked up and checked her surroundings for someone on their phone. No one was really in her sight for her to see a person with one anyways.

_ benny.taxi _

_ Do you know why the French hated the British for real though? _

What is this? Some pen pal thing she accidentally signed up for? Why did the French hate the British?

_ Who is this….? _

_ The British were fucking annoying. _

_ That sounds familiar… _

_ You were the one that said it. _

_ ummmmm _

_??? _

_ hello??? _

_ I just wanted to check up on you. _

Okay, benny.taxi sounded really cool, but also super creepy. Lola chewed on the inside of her cheek and checked the account. They were only following Lola, but 2 other people were following them. 

_ who are you? _

_ benny? _

_ Benny who drives a taxi? _

_ I can be, but that doesn’t matter _

_ You’re so anonymous _

_ Wish I could have no identity _

What if this person is a murderer? Lola frowned and started typing again but stopped when benny.taxi’s bubble was typing.

_ I’m just here in case you need to vent. _

_ I know this must be weird to you but I get that you’re hurting. _

_ You want everyone to take you seriously. _

_ Not someone fragile that needs to be taken care of. _

_ … _

_ yeah, how’d you know? _

_ I feel the same way. _

_ I’ll check up on you every now and then _

_ And don’t feel obligated to answer. _

_ Okay. _

And yeah, it was okay.

**

Lola woke up to loud laughing. She shifted in her bed wanting whoever it was to just shut up. She sprung up when it turned into shouting and a crash of some kind of glass. Lola sprinted out of her bed with only underwear and a tank top on to the noise. “What’s wrong?!” She said frantically only for anger to bubble in her. Her mom was on the ground picking up a broken wine glass and looked up to her daughter. “Fuck you, mom!” Lola rolled her eyes and was about to walk away but bumped into her dad.

“Help your mom clean it up. She’s drunk and will probably hurt herself-” her dad was cut off by Lola shoving past him. Did he forget that the psychiatrist told them she couldn’t be near sharp things? Lola got into her room and dumped her garbage out of a plastic bag that hung on her doorknob. She went to her drawer and stuffed as many clothes as she can into it. This ‘family’ didn’t care or acknowledge her. Her dad was telling her something about her mom once again but everything was going in the ear and out the other.

“Fuck you! You pick the mess up, you’re the one that married her!” Lola shouted, ignoring every single word that came out of not one, but multiple mouths now. Lola shoved Daphne that got into her way into the wall. “Don’t bother calling anyone, I can take care of myself, just like I’ve always had to!”

Once Lola was out of the flat, she waited. She waited for someone to open the door again. She heard the voices inside those walls grow loud, then quiet. Lola’s eyes dragged down at the small line of light between the door and the floor. It was gone in a second, she didn’t know, it wasn’t like she was counting or anything like that. Lola inhaled deeply and she got out on to the sidewalk. She grabbed her phone and opened up Instagram.

_ srodulv _

_ eliott. _

_ I don’t know where to go. _

_ and you know aymeric, he’ll want something from me if I stay over.. _

_ Eliott??? _

_ maya_la_bae _

_ Daphne texted me. _

_ Need a place to stay? _

Why couldn't Eliott just have answered? She stood there, and it was getting colder by the second. Lola looked around, maybe she could prostitute her way out of this one. Nevermind, it was too cold to even feel like she had zero self-worth.

_ yes. _

_ where do you live? _

_ i’ll get you a taxi. _

She wanted to laugh and it reminded her of her friend benny.taxi. She always would ask the driver of a taxi their name, just in case it was her anonymous friend. Lola sent her location, and soon enough a taxi was in front of her. She got in and had to ask, “What’s your name?”

“John,” the driver answered and began to drive on the road. When he parked in front of a tall building he turned over to her. “Make sure to return home when you’re ready. I regretted it when I never came back.”

Okay, John, whatever you say John. Lola rolled her eyes and got out, not wanting to hear someone trying to demand something from her. She looked around the area before setting her eyes on a figure leaning against the wall. “Lola, I was surprised you responded so fast.”

“Yeah well, when you have no place to go, you’ll take up anything.”

“No. I mean, I've texted you every single time you've run away. It's almost close to the end of the year, and you've never once responded," Maya explained, and Lola just stared at her. Stop being pretty. Lola looked around again and she finally realized she was shivering when Maya took off her jacket to wrap it around her. It was pink and it was far softer than it looked.

Lola didn't remember when she got inside the place. "Your parents aren't at home?" Lola asked as she hugged the pink jacket closer to herself. The warmth and scent of it was nice, it was everything that Maya was. What Lola wasn’t.

"Correction, my parents are never home," Maya said and glanced at her jacket on Lola. She didn't say anything -thankfully- and grabbed a few blankets from the hallway closet.

"Is that supposed to mean some-"

"They died. Drunk driving car crash," Maya whispered. It was far too loud in the quiet room though.

"H-How old were-"

"In middle school."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I really don't care, shouldn't have asked," Lola's voice was betraying her in all the wrong angles. She sounded sensitive and emotional, Lola can assure anyone that she wasn't. Maya nodded in a gesture for her to follow her to a bedroom. "I don't understand. You live alone?"

"I'm seen as independent and mature. I'm an adult," Maya rehearsed to Lola. She must have had to explain this to people a lot. "I'm going to go sleep on the couch, you can sleep here."

Maya turned on her heel and was about to leave before a hand tugged her sleeve. Why did Lola do that? She pulled her hand away and looked down trying to decide what her brain was trying to do. "Can you stay with me tonight?" Lola requested. She wasn't even aware she had said it until Maya nodded.

It was awkward at first, none of them knowing how to transition from their standing position. Lola was the first to get on the bed feeling brave, and Maya mirrored her on the side of it after getting the blankets on top of Lola. It was a small twin size bed and their shoulders left no room for a God. Lola was breathing heavily until Maya started humming. She wasn't sure if Maya was doing it for Lola or herself, but it was helping either way. Lola shifted on to her side facing away from Maya.

The last thing she remembered before falling asleep, was even more warmth wrapping around her side.

_ 9th Year: End of the Year _

Jo came up from behind her and hopped on to Lola’s back. Lola yelped and threw Jo off of her. Jo was laughing and got up from the ground that she ended up falling on. Her hair was cut down in a bob once again, just as Lola guessed.

After a week staying with Maya, Jo would come along with them to her place and they started talking again. They've missed a lot of time together, and Jo was on the bigger part of making that time up. The two met up because they were going to go to a quiet urbex event that Maya had set up for the club. No one besides the people in it have heard of it, just the way they all wanted it. Lola joined the club just last month, it was late, but Maya was all accepting to the idea. "The school must always question that taking photos of old buildings or private properties might be on trespassing grounds. Lola brought up their earlier conversation over text. Jo was making the argument that they didn't even know the club existed besides Mrs. Soutien (their host for the club).

"No way! They don't care if their students are in danger -the nurse can prove that to you- and wouldn't even blink if they heard one of us broke all 203 of our bones," Jo argued with exaggerated hand gestures and Lola was laughing so hard.

"We have 206 bones dumbass," Lola said, almost tearing up from Jo’s anger.

"You've been hanging out with Sékou way too often to be correcting MY statements, don't try to avoid that I'm right and you're wrong-" Jo grunted and that's when Lola stopped.

"Watch where the fuck you're going!" Lola defended and shoved the boy. Jo said something to her but Lola was too busy staring him down. 

"Oh, so you're Lola," the dark-haired boy concluded. Lola was confused and was completely caught off guard by it, how did he know her name?

"Benny?"

"Who?" Both Jo and the boy questioned at the same time looking just as confused as she was now.

"No one… um, who are you?" Lola asked, feeling flustered and embarrassed that she even asked the question. Benny hasn't talked to her in a week, why would they have even talked to her in person?

"Max, I'm Maya's friend?" this now known boy, Max, held out his hand. What did Maya tell Max, for him to know who she was? Did Maya think she was mean or had a bad temper? The knot in her stomach squeezed tighter at the thought of Maya thinking she was a weird and angry kid.

Jo stole the offering handshake directed to Lola and Max laughed. "You must be Jo," Max greeted and Jo had made another weird noise. "Maya wanted me to escort you guys, since it's kind of hard to get there."

Jo raised an eyebrow and Lola grinned widely at her suspicious expression. "Max, you're not in the club, how'd you hear about this?" 

"Well. For one, I used to date Maya, and exes know everything about their exes. And two, I'm in the club. Just homeschooled," Max stated and flicked his finger on Jo's forehead. He didn't stay long and started to walk towards the darker direction of the sidewalk. Lola and Jo shared a look before they were both following after him. It was mostly quiet, except for the loud conversation Jo wanted to have about walnuts being distasteful to Max. Lola blocked it out and started thinking hard on what Max said. Maya was a lesbian. She made that clear and even said she never even dated a boy. Was he some childhood fling?

"Hey Max, how could you have dated Maya? She's a lesbian," Lola blurted out and Max turned his head over to her. He wasn't phased at the question and shrugged.

"I'm trans," Max answered like it answered all the questions in Lola's head. They did. It was silent for a split second until Jo grabbed Max and Lola and brought them to the side of her when a car came zooming by, splashing water off the road and on to Max and Lola.

"Fucking hell Jo!" Lola scowled and attempted to dry herself off, but she was still soaking wet no matter how much she tried to shake it off. Max was laughing in disbelief. Jo was completely dry and was also in shock, but for a different reason. Lola followed her gaze and spotted the building. "Isn't anyone going to call the cops on that, wasn’t this supposed to be a quiet event?" 

Max looked at her with a wide smile, a true smug idiot would do so. "They can't care for a complaint of noise if they're on a goose chase."

What did the club do? Jo was the first one to start running up the hill, avoiding trees as she did so. Lola yelled for her but knew it wouldn't make a difference even if Jo heard her. The lights were lighting up even the darkest of shadows before disappearing again. She could hear different blasting music of different genres as she climbed up the hill, Max assisting her every time she misstepped. The building was abandoned and was surprisingly close to the rest of the market area. The windows would shine the light of different colors and disappear and reappear, she could tell it was morse code for something, but it was probably only the nerds that understood it. So basically, a lot of them got it but her. She finally stopped at the front of the steps and took a deep breath. "I guess that water helped us, I would've been so hot by now."

"That hill is not that high, and it's almost dark."

Lola's hand was grabbed and she was pulled into the building. It was much more different to actually be inside an abandoned building. She looked up at the high roofing, it looked like a church that tried to morph into a house, or the other way around, both would fit the sight she saw. "Sékou wanted to see if you wanted to help hand out punch with him?" Jo asked over the music, that was actually not that loud from inside, so they must've been blasting it from the outside just to annoy people and Jo was being Jo. 

“Does the punch have alcohol?" Lola asked and Jo laughed out loud before her face fell realizing she actually wanted an answer. It was getting cold, where was Maya?

"No, but there is some alco-"

"I can probably help hand them out. Lola should enjoy herself, heard she had been working hard in the club," Max intercepted and Lola was thankful but also confused about how he knew what she had been doing. What did Maya tell him? How often did she talk about her? "Except… I don't know who Sekou is…?"

"I'm Sekou," the tallest one spoke with two trays of juice. "Lola, the alcoholic beverages haven't come yet, they have to get them in later. Statistically, they're safer to carry alcohol-"

"We're on a hill, nothing about carrying alcohol would be safe," Max scowled as if Sekou was stupid. Sekou stared at him with lips parted. He wanted to say something but anyone could see the gears working inside his head.

"My bad, I guess you're… right. I should probably call them," Sekou said and was already gone in two seconds. Lola and Jo stared at Max.

"That was weird, what made you all barky?" Jo questioned the question Lola also had.

"Who's to say I'm not always barky?" Max  _ barked _ back with raised eyebrows. Oh, he was fun. Lola laughed and shook her head not wanting to listen to an expectant insult from Jo. She eyed for certain hair color and there it was, the orange in all its glory. Maya approached them and Lola was the first to get a hug. The electricity has only been growing and she has no idea what it is that was making that feeling grow.

"Lola, Jo, did Max make a great tour- why are you wet?" Maya questioned and pushed Lola back, Lola missed the embrace so she simply held Maya's arms where they were around her waist again. 

"Jo-"

"Max sucks at tour guides and didn't specify there was going to be a water event on the side of the road involving cars and large puddles," Jo snitched to save her own back but Maya had the expression of already knowing what happened.

“You’re so cold Lola, somebody started a controlled fire pit, I can get you some blankets and-”

“What about me? I’m wet too-”

“Sekou can probably help you, he’s this tall black guy with-”

“A really handsome face, yeah-”

“Okay stop interrupting me, and no I was going to say with glasses, but you think he has a handsome face?”

“Fine, don’t care if I catch hyperthermia,” Max said and raised his arms in defense and disappeared into the small crowd of dancing bodies. Maya laughed as she watched him walk away and Lola wanted to laugh as well. 

“Hey Jo, you should probably help Sekou with the drinks, since you did get Lola and Max wet,” Maya practically mothered Jo. The short girl protested, trying to come up with some sort of excuse on why not to but nothing came up that seemed more important than hydrating people. Lola could have done better, a lot better, than Jo. Jo stomped away, but it wasn’t heard by anyone from people singing along to some song.

Maya was wording the song as well but stopped realizing Lola wasn’t singing with her. Lola found Maya’s lipgloss really pretty and that’s why she was staring at them of course. “No! Are you kidding me? You don’t know this song?” Maya inquired with a wide mouth. Lola shook her head with a bewildered smile. Was it popular?

“The Key to Life on Earth?” Maya began to interrogate her as they started walking to the fire. Maya’s arm was around her and Lola was just melting into the hold Maya had on her. Lola kept shaking her head again and again after each question. “Sekou was right, you have no idea what you’re even doing in our club, right?”

“Yeah, listen to the guy that thought the darker it gets, the safer it is to get alcohol,” Lola retorted and parted her body from Maya’s when they got to the fire. She stretched her palms out to the blazing fire, it reminded her of the lightning that would zap her from Maya’s touch, but less harsh. Maya was still standing next to her, and now Lola was having a crisis of which place she was getting the heat. 

“Have you been talking to that one guy…? Aymeric was it?” Maya brought up quietly.

“No. Not in a month,” Lola denied truthfully. She rubbed her palms together to try and build up some more heat. Lola turned her head to Maya and that was a mistake. Maya was really pretty, beautiful with the lighting casting on her, lighting up the orange hair and highlighting her light skin. Lola wanted to reach for her phone so badly to take a photo of the perfectness Maya possessed. Maya looked hesitant and Lola can’t read faces, she ruined that recognition a long time ago. Everyone she read now was just a person wanting to laugh at her. “Why?”

“He’s in jail, he date-raped a girl.” 

Oh. Lola bit her lip and forced her eyes to tear away from the perfect vision. She stared deadly at the fire. She met Aymeric at the beginning of the summer. He has hurt her before, he was also very close to doing the same thing to her. “Hey…” That’s when she called Eliott, that’s when she decided that she shouldn’t be doing drugs anymore. “Lola.” She felt wrong, but she was relieved that it didn’t happen to her and that she had an Eliott to call. Speaking of Eliott, he was standing right in front of her with his hands on her shoulders. Lola observed around her and started to notice people were leaving the house in a less chaotic way than she thought they would. 

“Maya-”

“Maya’s in the car. Let’s get you home!” He smiled brightly and squeezed her shoulders before awkwardly stretching his arm around her shoulder because of the height difference. There was no storm from that touch.

“Why are we leaving?”

“The cops figured out the goose chase.”

“Yeah, because your Sekou friend made the goose chase literally a puzzle on how to get to this location,” Max spat. She didn’t even know he was here till now.

Sekou made a noise in disapproval. “Okay, but I thought the police were too dumb of ass to figure it out! It was a really hard puzzle and I worked just as hard on it!” How many people were walking with her? She turned her head and almost screamed at Jo staring at her silently.

“I’m just saying, I wouldn’t be surprised if the so-called smart guy messed up.”

Jo encouraged their interactions and Lola’s head was hurting. The change of temperature from cold to warm must have given her a headache. When they got to a van, Lola was quick to get in with Eliott by her side. “So, how do you and Jo know this guy?” Max asked and Maya was in the driver’s seat also staring back at Eliott like everyone else, that didn’t sit right with Lola. “He is transferring to our school next year, so Lola  _ finally _ told me about him,” Jo said and Eliott laughed with a wide smile at her grumpiness. 

“I met Lola at a museum when she was in middle school. She spotted me spying on one of her sister’s friends. It was awkward at first, but we got close because we both share the likings of photographs. I’m still trying to get her into films,” Eliott explained and was staring intently at Maya, what was he trying to search for? Maya looked away from the contact and started the car after Sekou settled into the passenger seat.

“Okay, but you still haven’t talked to Lucas, and I told you I would start if you started you know… talking to him,” Lola countered and Eliott frowned like a raccoon getting his trash stolen away from him. Jo laughed loudly and Max was caught off guard by it.

“So you knew about his urbexplorations?” Max investigated and Lola raised her eyebrows. She should have connected the dots on why he was even here in the first place. 

“No… You are not into urbex.” Eliott stayed quiet and that answered her thoughts. “So in the years we’ve known each other, you couldn’t have brought this up? Even when I talked about the club?” Eliott stared at her, afraid that his explanation would not be good enough, but Lola insisted for him to answer. 

“Well, every time we would talk about urbex, you would talk about May--” Eliott almost flung forward if it wasn’t for the seatbelt around him. Maya had slammed the breaks and everyone was shouting over each other on her actions right after.

“There was a squirrel! I swear!” Maya argued and Sekou stared at her like she had gone crazy.

“I didn’t see anything on the road though???” Sekou tried. Eliott was laughing loudly at the event happening before his eyes but it was swallowed when Jo said she thought she saw a raccoon, not a squirrel. Maya’s chest was rising and falling as she tried to keep driving as the noise inside the vehicle erupted. “Says the one with glasses!” Max growled. Maya glanced up at the mirror, catching Lola’s eyes and now she was confused. Did she say something? Did Eliott say something? “Your problem with Sekou is out of hand!!” Jo pointed out.  _ Oh, he did.  _ “Why do you think I have glasses?? SO I CAN SEE!” Sekou yelled. Maya was weirded out by Lola talking about her. That’s valid, Lola would be weirded out of Maya- No, she wouldn’t be weirded out by Maya talking about her because Maya has talked about her. Then what was so different about Lola talking about her? Maya finally found a free space at the curb and watched the fight in front of her. “Are you attracted to me or something?”

“So what if I am?” Max oddly admitted to Sekou and the once loud noise coming from everyone’s mouths had gone mute. “I-I mean like, is there some kind of statistic that people who are mean to you are actually attracted to you? That leads into them thinking that their partner being mean to them is them being in love with them!” Lola made a face expression saying,  _ he has a point.  _

“No. That’s not what I was saying, you just said you liked my dark eyes and wish my glasses didn’t steal that away from them,” Sekou explained with a face that Lola couldn’t tell what face he was trying to make. Shock, confusement, or anger?

“I don’t know, you guys would have some pretty heated and interesting sex,” Jo said with a shrug and Eliott snorted. Lola punched her side and Jo only slapped her thigh in return.

“Oh yeah? Maybe Sekou just looks like he’d have heated sex with everyone, maybe even you! Who knows!” Max raised his arms in a panic and Lola sent a look to Jo.

“I’m ace, Max,” Jo snapped right back at him.

“And I’m gay, I mean in case you wanted to know,” Sekou commented at the end of Jo’s.

“I’m pan!” Eliott invaded and Lola facepalmed her forehead at his blatant addition. Max was stammering through his words, but now Lola was staring at Maya. Her head rested on the steering wheel and she was laughing at all of them and Lola’s storm hadn’t been this loud since the first time Lola set her eyes on that smile.

Yes, it was indeed:

_ Funny. _


	2. Rainbow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maya and Lola's pining continues!  
> TW - minor abuse and mentions of eating disorders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KDBKRGB I DID IT  
> Thank you to everyone for hyping me up on the second chapter and I hope you like it?? If you don't, I'm so sorry it didn't live up to your expectations and same SJBHASKLDB

_Summer_

Eliott has a car now. It’s this oldie type of car, but she didn’t know what type, Lola never studied car designs. Anyone who memorized what the names of vehicles are wasting too much of their time. Lola’s tongue slid across her bottom lip as she watched a girl walk by her with a smile and a wink.

Lola was squeezing out of her seat until Jo pushed her shoulders down and got Lola back into the car. The car was a dark red one and a person would be able to let the roof down, that’s the current state it was in. Lola sputtered for words on why the hell Jo would even stop her.

That was until Jo had handed Lola her icecream. Now that she was silenced by ice cream, Jo began to talk about Max. He’s become a recent topic ever since the end of the school year when he started to date this man named Henry. Henry was… different. Ever since Max and Sekou had their odd arguments, Jo and Lola swore one day they would end up making out from the heat of the moment. Jo also promised that Max had a type: nerds because Max can correct them on the dumber things they say.

Henry was the opposite. He was this hipster kind of guy that’ll probably grow up to be _that uncle._ Lola brought it up to Sekou and he shrugged it off. Sekou even stopped teasing Max about his dumb actions even when they radiated dumbass energy. Jo claimed it to be jealousy, but Lola is learning that she should stop trusting Jo as some superior to Gossip Girl.

_benny.taxi_

_I wanted to hook up with some girl._

_But Jo gave me icecream instead!_

_yikes not as worse as what my friend did_

_i attempted to flirt with a woman and well-_

_My friend spilled a drink on her :/_

Lola laughed out loud at the story and put her phone away when Eliott got back over and into the driver’s seat. “Were you talking to Benny again?” Jo asked and sat up in her seat with a curious look. Lola nodded and sighed out. At the beginning of the summer, Jo found her phone and pointed out a message she received. Jo, of course, decided that she was going to be a detective and threatened Lola to spill everything, her actions led to the entire “lamifex” knowing about it.

Lola still is not completely aware of how their group had been named such an odd word, but Maya said it was cool, so it was the kind of never done before kind of cool. “Yes… but that doesn’t matter, we should probably, you know,” Lola nodded over to the rocky beach getting hit by waves every now and then. 

Jo shook her head and insisted Lola needed to finish her ice cream. Lola rolled her eyes, it was getting hot out and she just wanted to change into her swimsuit and drown herself in the waves of water. “We can finish it on the way, Jo, Lola’s right. If we wait longer that means a shorter time to swim since the tides are well…” Eliott trailed off and Lola grinned.

“They’re shit.” Lola finished and Eliott’s eyes widened. “Oh please Eliott! You swear all the time but when we’re talking about water you’re all sensitive about it?” She watched Eliott’s expressions change back and forth and Lola wanted more than anything in the world to be able to get inside someone else’s head.

“Did Idriss leave?” Jo asked and Eliott nodded, relieved to change the subject.

“Why else would I have come back over here?” Eliott bullied and Jo didn’t seem to be having it. She rolled her eyes with a fake slow mocking laugh and leaned back against her seat taking the last few bites of her ice cream.

Lola laughed and opened the side of the door to get out. Jo crawled in front of her and almost caused both of them to fall on to the dry ground of the earth. Fortunately, it was only Jo that got to eat shit. Lola laughed even louder whilst helping her up. Jo was shouting loud profanities as she wiped the sand off the back of her pants.

Eliott sighed as he managed to also get out of the vehicle again. “The stalls are over there.” Lola followed his finger and spotted the small building. Jo didn’t hesitate and started walking to the building, translation, Jo ran to it. Lola trailed after Jo. 

She finished her ice cream by the time she got inside the public bathroom/changing room. A girl on a bench in the corner was aiding a girl on the ground with their leg in the air. There was a deep cut at the shin and Lola almost looked away from it. What she was paying attention to was the girl on the bench gently treating the wound. The soft rubbing of the cotton against the blood, trying her best to not deliver pain to the wound. 

The beaches in France are rocky and there’s a couple of coves, one around here that they were going to, but some people were willing to risk it all. The girl with the wound cleared her throat and wanted an explanation for the staring. Lola rolled her eyes, shrugged, and walked into an open stall. 

Lola was quick to change into her swimsuit, but Jo shouting a few stalls over to Lola about their ice cream not being that good, it was a slower process on getting out of there. That’s when Maya walked into the box of girls, plus a screaming baby in a bad mood.

Excuse the bluntness, Maya was so fucking hot. Is there any woman that can look as good as Maya with wet hair, water trickling down her skin, and Lola just knew anyone would be lucky to see Maya in water- “Maya, why are you here?” Lola blurted, that’s when she noticed another girl with her. “Oh… Char.”

“I- You guys are going to go swimming? I know a place where it isn’t that rocky I can-”

“We already know about that, Maya. Eliott was taking us, what’s your excuse?” Lola questioned and took an eye on Char. She was also just as hot but in a bad way. Is there a bad way of being hot? Well, Char defined it. Maya introduced Char to the entire group as someone she is dating after the school year ended. Something that no one in the group really talked about.

Charlotte came from the high class. It isn’t wrong unless you were the embodiment of an enraged rich lesbian. That’s exactly what Char is if that wasn’t clear. She bragged about her high prestigious school and her rich problems that weren’t even the slightest of importance. Jo is an entire joke to Char. Char misgenders Max (Maya doesn't know about that though). She doubts Sekou's intelligence 99% of the time. At first, they thought Char calling Jo funny was genuine, but the more she said it, the more it became a punch in the face of what she really meant.

Apparently, the only one oblivious to Char's attitude was Maya. She didn’t ever talk about Char when she hung out with them, never asked them how they felt about Char, and if anything that was fine for Lola.

But. She was worried if it was or wasn’t fine for the rest. She understands how frustrating it is to stay silent about things. One of the reasons she has become so heavily outspoken. She couldn’t hold anything in anymore, except for a few exceptions. 

“Is she not allowed to have independent choices without you all climbing on her?” Char intercepted whatever was at the tip of Maya’s tongue.

“Oh, okay,” Lola said tight-lipped because now there was huffing and puffing Jo next to her. She shouldn’t take things out of hand or Jo will only follow her lead and start a war. “See you tomorrow.”

Lola and Jo brushed by Maya quietly. “Lola-” The door closed off the sound of Maya’s voice and now Lola could only hear Jo ranting and birds being just as loud. She wants something and she feels her hands itching to grab her phone from her duffel bag. “Jo… I need…”

Jo stopped talking and was officially concerned, all the extra emotion erased. Lola knew her hands were shaking, but things were going dark. She hated these sudden attacks, she never understood why they had to come out of nowhere. They weren't excessive or dangerous, they'd just appear and disappear for no reason. Jo ducked down on to the ground searching for something in her bag. Some plastic bag was ripped out of it and clasped inside her fist. Lola stared intently at Jo’s uncertain movement, trying to keep focus and stay as calm as possible. “Listen, I was ripped off for this but if you want some…” Jo revealed the bag inside her hands and it was a bag of gummy worms with just the red and yellow color.

Lola's smile almost tore in half from Jo’s kindness. “Oh, I will savor these treats very much.”

_Char was out of the question by next month, none of them had seen her for the rest of the summer._

_10th year_

Daphne started driving now. She was right, they would be going to school on time from now on. Lola shifted in the passenger seat and watched them start to get close to the school’s area. “Can you drop me off a block away?” Lola asked quietly and Daphne kept her eyes on the road but Lola could tell she was thinking about something.

“Are you ashamed about the car?” Daphne asked.

“No. I’m embarrassed by you. You’re suspiciously close to the principal and my friends-”

“Lola, one of your friends used to date, my friend.”

“For a week.”

“Whatever! I still talk to Maya though and we’ve always been close. Whichever friend has a problem with me, they can come to me-”

“ _This_ is why I don’t want you around when I get into school. You have officially found something to pester about when we get there.” Daphne tried to look for an argument about it but couldn’t find anything for it. She quickly pulled over to the side of the road and Lola got out not wanting to stress the low traffic behind them.

Of course, it didn't hurt to give Daphne a sarcastic middle finger in goodbye. She huffed out and started her walk to school.

"Lola!"

She took out her phone and checked for any messages. There were two messages from benny.taxi that she'll look at later today. "Lola!"

Lola took a deep breath and turned her head to the noise giving her a migraine. Everyone keeps saying her name likes it's the only word in the dictionary. "Oh, it's you."

Max frowned and finally caught up to her. He shoved his hands into his pockets and gave her a nudge for more room to be next to her. "Why do you sound so grumpy?"

"When do I not sound like I want to kill someone and then myself?" Lola fought back and Max laughed. She thinks Max is the only one allowed to laugh. He gets it, he understands hating everything and everyone.

"Speaking of killing, I saw this killer street art recently and I think it has something to do with urbex," Max enthused. Lola raised an eyebrow, you can connect street art that easily to urbex just by looking at it? 

"Yeah… cool. Sucks you didn't get a photo because I'm not interested," Lola sighed out and kicked a pebble in her path.

"Oh. You're right I should've done that." Max grabbed out his phone and swiped through it before showing it to her, both of them trying not to run into something while doing so.

"I don't understand why this has anything to do with urbex?"

"It's clearly Maya, not to mention this building hasn't been used for a decade."

Lola stopped abruptly and shook her head. "No."

"I get it, it might just be a random person but the pink jacket in the second figure of the art piece? Everyone knows Maya's jacket, it's iconic. We just need to figure out who the other person in the art is."

"Please for the love of god you sound like my sister's friend's flat mate's boyfriend. Never use 'iconic' again. I won't be surprised if you said 'lit' before," Lola cringed and Max was only surprised she had a problem with the silliest of vocabulary.

They were at the gates by now after a long argument between which words were acceptable and not acceptable to say. "Slang is part of our culture!"

"Half the slang is from other cultures!"

"Hey, guys!" Maya interrupted. She pushed herself off the wall she was leaning on and started walking by Max's side.

"Salut," Lola forced a smile and Max was really starting to get confused with Lola's personality trait choices. Acting as if nothing has ever been wrong is not a good look on her.

"Why are you so happy? You were about to fight me over calling Beyonce our queen," Max teased expecting a different reaction other than a death glare from Lola.

Max gave her a look, but now Lola was focused on Eliott walking through the gate area and passed them like they didn't exist. "Rude."

Maya raised an eyebrow and they all stopped their tracks in sync. "Rude?"

"Eliott didn't even notice us, so rude."

"Salut," Sekou popped into their triangle and made it into a lopsided square. "Max? You're coming to our school now?"

"Have we- Yes. Yes, I am," Max growled lowly and Sekou just gave out his warm and generous energy to all of them. Out of instinct, Lola's hand went to her wrist to mess with the friendship bracelet he made for her.

"Maya I wanted to talk to Jo about a few urbexplorations I wanted to explore with her."

"And you're asking me because…?"

"I haven't seen her so I thought you would know where she is," Sekou elaborated and Lola was feeling out of place again. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel. All of them know each other, talk about each other when the other one isn't there. Big groups were new to her, even during the summer. As the conversation continued, it was like falling into a deep deep hole that the more you fell, the more silent it got.

"I'm going to class," she whispered and was gone from the group. She didn't enjoy this. The heat inside her body grew of not knowing how to act around others or how to interact with multiple people at once. It was overwhelming. She could tell Max noticed it, and she got even more confused about how to react to that. Nobody usually saw through her. Except one. "Lola!"

Maya grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. Lola frowned, she was feeling low, she needed to recharge somehow. "I missed you, I wish we could've hung out more this past month. Things just got busy with trying to keep up multiple jobs, but I'm here for you-"

Lola didn't know how it happened but she was now hugging Maya. Embracing her because hearing the words 'I missed you', made all this weight suddenly disappear. The rumbling storm inside her had clouds gaining more and more weight. Maya could disappear for centuries, and if she came back with those words, all Lola's negativity would melt into nonexistence. "That night was fun, we should do it again," Maya whispered into her ear softly and made the distance between them. "Have fun at class!"

Lola nodded with a small smile and turned around. She headed to class only to see Eliott talking to Daphne. "Eliott-"

Lola noticed the small flyer in Daphne's hands and looked over to the billboard filled with them. She searched for some cheap paper and found it. A club for everyone to hang out in?

She scrunched up her nose, was Eliott actually considering that place? It's fine, he doesn't have to join the urbex club. Why does her opinion even matter? Have a good time in class Maya said, so why isn't she having a good time? "Yikes, someone needs a shower," a blonde girl next to her spoke.

Lola rolled her eyes and began walking. She will ignore it, it's fine. "You know if you need to, my shower is totally up for being used-"

"You're inviting me to take a shower with you? Want me to fuck you again or something?" Lola snapped at Tiff and the girl's eyes were wide. Tiff was someone she met over the summer. Treated Lola likes some prostitute.

"No. I wouldn't let you even a foot near me," Tiff sputtered out and Lola's lips curled up.

"Tiff, you're less than a foot near me. Now go to your class before you both get us in trouble," Lola said in a high pitch voice, mocking Tiff. Lola got into her first hour and was caught off guard by Jo already there. "Ah, Jo, Sekou was looking for you-"

"Lola, I don't like it here." Lola stayed silent and sat down at the desk next to her. "It's… the people here are so different from me. You're different from me. I don't- My similarities to anyone is zero."

"Wow Jo, really making me feel like this in the morning?"

"See? I'm doing it right now! I'm hurting you and it is only the morning!" Jo exclaimed and Lola rolled her eyes.

"In the ' _morning',_ let's talk about this later, my brain is foggy right now is what I meant," Lola comforted. Jo forced out a smile and laid her head down on her arm. "By the way, your whole 'we aren't going to know each other's schedule' game, is actually pretty fun." Lola felt successful at her words when Jo shot up at Lola's words with a big wide smile.

"Right? Who would've thought we'd have our first together? It wouldn't be as fun if we actually knew we did."

Lola laughed and ducked her head down when she checked her messages. Benny.taxi was just saying to have a good day at school. She does know benny.taxi goes to her school, but she has no idea what year they're in. The talk in class a year ago was the talk all around that day, so it was unknown whether or not benny.taxi was there in the classroom when it happened. "I like your hair, it's getting really long. You should try those side bangs hairstyle, I saw it in a magazine and a model kind of looked like you."

Jo snorted and pretended to brush it off, but it was betrayed when Jo messed with her front hairs in thought. Lola leaned back in her seat and texted Sekou that Jo was with her. He responded with a simple thumbs-up. Guess it wasn't that important.

*

The day went by pretty fast for the first day. La mif's group chat decided they'd all walk around after school. Although, Lola wouldn't be able to make it. She had to help Daphne with cleaning up one of her mom's tantrums that happened while they were at school.

Daphne said she would make it up to her, but Daphne wasn't the person she wanted to hear it from. Daphne isn't her mom. They got out of the old vehicle and made it into the building. "I'm leaving after we clean up the mess, Thierry," Lola greeted loudly when they got inside. She entered the living room and looked around. "I'm confused."

Daphne slowly followed after her, a similar look on her face on why the room was already cleaned up. That's when Thierry snuck over to them and cleared his throat. "Your mom… I've taken her to a rehab center," Thierry said lowly, a whisper. 

"That's why I'm here?" Lola puffed and gripped the strands of her backpack. This was wasting her time, she could've been hanging out with her friends, with Maya.

"Lola, have some respect-"

"You want to lecture me on respect, Daphne? Then respect the fact that I've had to deal with our mom my entire life! It just doesn't- I don't- I get that you also had to handle her as well, but I was going through things. My brain was fucked, it still is, but it was always Mom this, Mom that!"

"It's not my fault!" Daphne defended.

"I know it's not. It's Theirry's, he can't fucking adult, he's messed both of us up. He-"

"-How can you say that?-"

"- has neglected my needs as a child! He hasn't even noticed that you never finish your plate of food. One bite, two bites, oh no! Mom just came home drunk and you get the chance to throw your plate away before they notice! But I notice Daphare-"

"-Lola please not now-"

"Thierry is a dumb fuck of a child to know both of his daughters are literally on the brink of _dying-_ "

Lola felt a sharp burn against her cheek and she turned her head to Thierry with his hand faltering. "Lola. I didn't mean to-"

Lola raised her hand up to her cheek, it was a scratchy feeling, a feeling she wasn't sure about. She deserved it, her storm shrinking and clenching for some kind of relief. The feeling was burning and disappearing soon enough as well as the noise. The silence saying she deserved it. "Let me get you ice," Daphne said, it was hard to catch when she was in tears, about to touch Lola's cheek. Lola swatted it away and glared at Thierry.

"You're not a parent Daphne, act like your actual age," Lola spat after a deep breath, "I'm going to Eliott's, or Maya's, or whoever is available, leave me alone."

She didn't want to hear their protests, or maybe it was because there were no protests to listen to. They didn't care and she deserved it. 

When she got out of the building, she was already on the phone. "Could you- I don't want to be around anyone but I don't have anywhere to go right now that I feel safe. I want to feel safe but-"

"It's okay, Lola. Meet me at my place."

*

Lola got up the stairs and into the hallway. Does she let herself in or knock? She lifted her fist up but paused by the voice. "You know you could always just let yourself in. You know where I hide the backup key," Maya greeted with a wink. She made her way over to her and opened the door for both of them.

Maya sat Lola at the couch and said she'll make them tea. Lola looked around, nothing has changed. It's been a month since she's been here and not a single thing looks like it has moved. Maya came back and gave her a cup of tea with her gentle and glossy smile. She sat closely next to Lola and watched intently at Lola taking a sip of it, waiting for a rating. Lola didn't give her anything though. She felt heavy, but she also wanted to keep running around even with no energy. "What happened?" Maya brushed her thumb lightly against the redness of Lola's cheek.

"Somebody threw a stick at me."

"Lola."

That wasn't right, Maya was supposed to laugh. Maya was supposed to be like everyone else. Make Lola feel like a joke. Lola didn't want to look at her, knowing that it wasn't a laughing face. Lola fiddled with the cup in her hands, taking another drink of it awkwardly. "Do you… ever feel like there's a storm inside you?" Maya shook her head quietly and rose her hand up to take Lola's hair out of the ponytail it was in. "Never? It never feels like there is lightning or warmth?"

"Maybe," Maya whispered and brushed her fingers slowly through Lola's hair. Lola could melt into it, too tired to make the noises she knew she wanted to make, to make the noises asking for more of Maya's touch. "Is that what you felt?"

Lola opened her eyes not even remembering she had closed them. "My dad," Lola whimpered out, her lips trembling. She kept her strength up, not letting tears escape her eyes. Maya was blurry but she saw the sadness, maybe even the disappointment.

"Is this storm hurting you?" Maya got both hands into Lola's hair, making rows in her head on a loop. Lola didn't answer, she didn't know. She blinked away the tears, thanking the deity for not letting any of the tears escape. "I think you need a bath."

Lola frowned, about to take offense but Maya gave Lola a kiss on the head, erasing any bad thoughts of those words. "I'll go get it started. Go get ready." Maya helped Lola up and off the couch. 

Lola went into Maya's room. A few things have changed here. The blanket had changed, but that wasn't a surprise. Maya was obsessed with different textured fabrics. There were new photos hanging in her room. She heard the bathwater turn on outside Maya's room. Lola sighed and took off her backpack. She unzipped her jacket and spotted the mirror in the corner. She let the jacket fall to her feet. Lola took the steps needed to get up close to the mirror and looked at her face. She touched the mark on her cheek, it felt the way you'd hit your humorous bone. Fuzzy?

She sighed out and pulled her shirt over her shoulders, wincing at the rough fabric going against her cheek. How hard did he hit her? Lola felt a bit too uncomfortable with taking her pants off, so she left the room and peeked into the bathroom. Maya turned her head to her with that smile Lola has fallen in love with- She didn't fall in love, she mentally corrected. Maya stood up and began to speak, "It's filling up. I'm going to go clean some stuff up real quick… I'll give you some privacy." Maya gave a small tap to Lola's shoulder and closed the door behind her when she left, leaving Lola alone in the bathroom. She checked herself in the mirror again and realized both of her cheeks were pink, god did she have to be blushing?

She unclipped her bra and shifted out of her pants and underwear. Lola noted that Maya had made a bubble bath, and that was not surprising at all. Lola could feel the warm water rising up her skin and she wanted to drown in that warmth. The bath was surprisingly big for such a small place. More room than her home. She scoffed, the word home didn't feel right anymore. She bent her legs up to her chest and hugged her knees. Lola was trying to relieve the stress but it stuck even when the water got to her shoulder blades. Maya came back into the bathroom with a few shampoos in her hand and kicked a stool the height of the tub to Lola. She looked at the lavender haired girl in curiosity, watching Maya sit down on the stool.

"I didn't know what you wanted to smell, but I have coconut, strawberry, my personal favorite: vanilla, peach-"

"I'll do the vanilla." Lola cringed at her own eager response. She looked away and sunk just a little bit lower into the tub. Maya smiled, reaching over and switching the water to the showerhead. Lola shivered at the water stream hitting her hair. Maya practically combed the water up and down until Lola's hair was wet enough. She listened to the cap opening and the quiet squeeze of the substance going on to the palm of Maya's hand. Lola almost moaned when she felt the way Maya's hands lathered up her hair. Her fingers sunk and scratched slowly against Lola's scalp.

Lola took a deep breath, closing her eyes, trying to relax. "Lola? Are you crying?" Maya filled the bathroom with her voice until it was absorbed by whimpers.

"I-" Lola didn't even know, and now she was choking up on the words she wanted to say. She tightened her eyelids, trying to keep any tears from escaping but they continued to roll down her cheeks. She was ugly, her eyebrows bundled together and her bottom lip quivering. Maya pulled her hands away from Lola, talking to her but Lola couldn't hear it. Not until Maya was in the bathtub with her, stripped of her clothes, and sharing the water with Lola. Lola reached out her arms and Maya was quick to endorse that request. Her arms tightened around her middle as she pulled her closer. There was for sure water sloshing down on to the floor, but that didn't matter, because the storm inside her started to rain. The heavy clouds got lighter and lighter each time she bellowed out a whine or incoherent noise, echoing against the bathroom's walls. "I didn't deserve it, Maya, I thought if I told myself-"

"It's okay, let it out." Lola yelped at those words. That it was okay, that she could let it out. Lola hid her head into Maya's neck, neither of them caring about the soap getting on to Maya's face.

"He hurt me. My mom hurt me. Daphne doesn't even know she's hurting herself! And I feel like it's all my fault-"

"-It's not your fault-"

"But it feels like it. It always feels like it, it always feels-" Lola couldn't get any more words out as she noisily cried out in the tub. She rubbed at her eyes, it burned a little bit more because of soap that got in her eyes. Maya gave her kisses on her neck and shoulder, whispering that Lola was a good person, that this was none of her faults, attempting her best to comfort the broken girl in her bathtub.

The cries turned into sniffles and sniffles turn into nothing. Lola was so tired, how long has she been crying. She lifted her hand up to her own hair. It was wet but no more soap was on it. Confused, she pulled away from the arms holding her, and Maya's lips curled up. "I had to clean the soap out soon. I think you passed out for 15 minutes then woke up to… cry… some more," Maya answered the unasked question.

"Oh…" Lola spoke, her throat hurt and she could tell she probably had some snot above her upper lip. She tucked her hair behind her ear, not liking the feeling of how it stuck to her face. Then she realized Maya could see her wrists and she plunged them back down at the water. How could she have forgotten about them? And the scars on her thighs? Lola shrunk into a ball again and Maya frowned at her. "Can I see them?"

Lola bit her lip and took a few deep breaths in the decision making. She finally nodded and pulled her hands out from the water, turned her wrists upward, revealing the scars. Maya took hold of them as if they were the most fragile object on this planet. "I'm going to show you something," Maya was hesitant with her words, and Lola never heard her hesitant before. Lola didn't even care that Maya had lifted herself up and was naked, she was too drained. Not drained enough to look at the tattoo on Maya's side.

"Pretty." Maya huffed a laugh at Lola's comment before getting just a bit closer in the bath to show her the scar- The scar? Lola lowered her eyebrows as she examined it. "Where did you get it from? I mean, what happened?" Lola croaked out, Maya didn't pay attention to care about Lola's voice though.

Maya sunk into the bath with Lola and bit her lip, the gears working in her brain. "I was in the car.” Lola had to take a moment to process what that meant before making an O shape to her mouth. “It doesn’t hurt anymore but I’m also not ashamed of it. It’s like a remarkably cool battle scar. Athough, you must have gone through a fight.”

Lola nodded and leaned her back against the bathtub. Maya shook her head and got out of the bath entirely. The soap suds were practically non-existent on her body, the rest of her body had droplets of water running down her body. Lola stared, she wasn’t sure if that was a rude thing or not until Maya gave her the ‘look away’ look. Her cheeks burned and she did as she was told, her hands playing in the bubbles of the bath. Maya had comfortable clothes on, a tank top and shorts, and was now handing Lola clothes that weren't hers. "I don't have some disease, don't give me that look and just wear the clothes," Maya laughed out and set them down on the stool. She left for Lola's privacy but Lola took her time to get out of the bath. She felt frozen in the tub, Maya was really pretty. And her storm grew once again, but for that first reason, that happy reason, the reason why Lola smiles at nothing from time to time.

She started to drain the water down the tub and grabbed the showerhead to wash off the extra soap suds on her body. Lola chewed the inside of her cheek when she looked at the clothes Maya gave her. She hated what she was doing, but couldn't resist smelling the scent of Maya. The comforting and inviting smell is what got Lola to put on clothes faster than usual. Lola wore a fluffy sweater with a loose long pair of pajama pants. Lola walked out of the bathroom and smiled seeing Maya cooking something. "What are you making?" Lola asked. She walked over to the counter and hopped on it. She instantly scrunched up her nose at the tofu. She was okay with vegan food but never understood the point of tofu. Why did it exist? Maya laughed and shrugged at Lola's disgusted expression.

"Please don't make me eat that."

"Okay, I won't make you."

Lola smiled widely and Maya stared at her for a moment in what Lola could only hope for was awe. "You have to though."

"What?"

"You have to eat something."

Lola hummed in thankfulness and got off from the counter and invited herself to ambush the refrigerator. She grabbed out a bag of baby carrots and showed them to Maya like they were her prized possession. Maya approved and went back to making her own set of food. Lola started to crunch at a few carrots, the only significant sound in the air at the moment. She watched Maya dress her meal up in seasoning and started to eat her own meal. Lola cringed again, absolutely over the sight, and went over to sit on the couch. Her eyes were heavy but she was actually hungry and she was going to stuff herself with carrots until she wasn't. "Remind me again why you don't like tofu?"

Lola rolled her eyes. "Have you seen tofu? It looks like chalk, and I personally do not want to eat chalk." Maya returned the eye roll with her own rolling of eyes and took another bite of tofu. Lola looked up at her. Was she seriously going to eat all of that?

Maya hummed and sat down next to Lola, taking _another_ bite of tofu. "It does have a chalk texture."

"You had to eat it to figure that out?" Lola groaned and set the bag of carrots on to the coffee table. Her back slacked against the couch and she closed her eyes. She didn't think she'd pass out right then and there, but she could hear the quiet shuffling and then a blanket being wrapped around her. 

_The storm feeling inside her was comfortable again, it didn't hurt._

_10th-Year: Middle of the Year_

Jo squealed loudly at the tunnel building. Sekou following suit with her actions but it came off as more of scream. "What?" Max questioned and gripped his backpack straps tightly. Maya laughed and shook her head. She looked at the three before it sunk in.

"Where's Lola?"

"She didn't tell you? She's going on a date," Max informed her and took out the flashlight from his bag trying to look unnerved. Sekou raised his eyebrows, in disbelief that Max wasn't shaken by Jo and Sekou's antics.

"Really with who?" Maya asked, trying to be just as casual as him as they started to step down the stairs to the underground tunnel area. The entire la mif were all exchanging looks, wondering if they should tell her or not. Jo tugged at her side bangs when they hit the flat concrete, her eyes wide and amused with the darkness. "Guys? Who is she going out with? I'm not going to cry or whatever." Sekou was looking down at his map, trying to figure out if they go right or left first.

"Tiff."

"Tiff? But she hates Tiff!" Maya exclaimed with a laugh at the joke. Nobody else was laughing, they just started to follow Sekou in silence.

"Lola's dad got a job under Tiff's dad's company," Sekou explained and Maya was confused mostly. A prostitute- "And before you go saying that Tiff is using Lola so her dad has a job, they've been talking before Lola's dad was in the picture. Lola could stop dating Tiff if she wanted to and her dad would still have a job."

"Why?"

"Why does it matter? Do you like her?"

Maya's lips drew into a line. Questions running through her head but were stopped by Jo squealing again. "Sekou, race you!" Jo took off her bag and threw it at Max and started running full speed. Sekou, completely off guard, took off his bag as quickly as possible and threw it behind him. Maya was impressed by his running skills, then again he did do football in his free time.

Max and she walked alongside each other, no words were being exchanged. It was different because they always had something to say to each other. 

"Maya do you like-" "-I like Lola."

Max and Maya kept walking in an awkward pattern of footsteps. "Okay." Max glanced over at Maya, she was still processing those words.

"We hung out the last month of break. She never did graffiti in an urbex exploration. We made this portrait of nobodies but then she-"

"Oh yeah, I saw that mural."

"Call it a mural, but Lola isn't even good at art. She was laughing the entire time, practically giggling and I just watched her spray paint a pink jacket on this stupid street art we made together. She was so pretty, Max… I think I've liked her longer than that. Last year, you wouldn't know this but she hated me, and all I wanted to do was be there for her. I'd use any opportunity to talk to her and I thought it was because I wanted to save her. Then she saved herself, which so many props to her, and I was confused because that feeling didn't leave. This feeling to always be around her. I couldn't place it until she hung out at my place again. Her dad slapped her and I- I was happy she was there," Maya flinched when she heard yelling and stomps behind them. She turned her head to look over her shoulder and saw Jo sprinting toward them. Right when Jo was about to run into them, Max and Maya created space in the middle for her to go past them. "I'm selfish."

Max frowned as they stood and looked at each other, except when Sekou snuck up on both of them. "No, you're not selfish. She just makes you happy."

"You heard us?" Max’s eyebrows lowered and had an almost accusatory tone.

"We're in a tunnel. That echoes."

Maya laughed nervously and it soon enough disappeared by her hands covering her face. "And now she's dating Tiff," Maya muttered through her hands and Sekou made a noise of acknowledgment. He patted her shoulder and then they heard footsteps again. They didn't have time to part like the last moment so Jo ran right into Sekou's back. Their limbs got tangled up until they were both on the ground laughing. 

When the two finally calmed down and separated their two bodies, Jo had something to say. "You know, she likes you too."

"She told you that?"

"No, but mother's intuition," Jo said with her hands in the air making an imaginary curve. Maya rolled her eyes, her heart skipped a beat for no reason. "Kidding! You should have seen your face. She talks about you all the time and whenever I tease her she does this weird face." Sekou laughed as he got up from the ground and Max was already muttering side comments about it. Maya helped Jo up since she seemed to be struggling with it.

"Could you maybe not tell her I said any of those things? It's just… I want to do it by myself."

"Okay, but don't keep me or Lola waiting." Jo took one last squeeze of their hands and let go.

_Maya kept them waiting._

_10th-Year: End of School Year_

Lola laughed loudly at Jo imitating the principal who had just yelled at Max because of his shoes being untied. Max shushed her quickly and they all picked up the pace in the hallway. They turned the corner and Lola yelped when somebody bumped into her. "Watch it, Lola," Tiff snapped and shoved her out of her path. Lola raised her eyebrows as she watched the girl heel her way down the rest of the hall. All of them gave each other the same look and then they were laughing once again.

"I still don't know how you dated her," Jo cringed and Max agreed with her. 

Lola shook her head and gave a small shrug. "She's pretty chill when she isn't being… Tiff," Lola defended. They got to the art classroom, Lola joined mid-semester, and sat at their table.

"Lola's mom baked the best cookies ever, you have to try them sometime!" Jo began and grabbed out a notebook and pen. 

"That's right. Your mom is out of rehab, how is she?" Max questioned and took out his decorated sketchbook. He flipped through his pages, Lola secretly catching small glimpses of his sketches.

"She's a lot better, and my dad isn't being an asshole anymore." Jo snorted at Lola's last part. Jo doodled stickmen at the bottom of her lined paper, her teeth biting at her bottom lip in concentration. Max flipped to a page in his sketchbook with an awfully familiar artwork. When he felt eyes on the paper he instantly shut it. "Max, are you drawing that dumb art piece you found in the first semester?" Lola questioned and her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What's the problem with that? You and Maya shouldn't-"

"How did you know it was Maya and me?" Lola cut off, her heart beating a million times per minute. That was their secret. So how come out of all the people, Max so happened to know about it? She realized she was getting angry and frowned at herself. 

"I… I know about it too," Jo whispered under her breath. Lola groaned out and quickly grabbed out her phone

_mayaaa <3 _

why the hell does Jo and Max know about our night?

im so sorry

lola

can you ditch?

i want to talk.

okay, ten minutes. meet up at the tree we usually hang out with.

wow very secretive and cool

shut up i am supposed to be mad maya.

*

"Salut, Lola."

"Don't give me that, I would like an explanation," Lola said with raised eyebrows and Maya just stared. Lola was already regretting confrontation and Maya's blank expression was not helping. "Hello? Maya? You there?" Lola asked and swiped her hand over Maya's eyes back and forth.

Maya groaned and shoved Lola's hand out of her face. She frowned and leaned her shoulder against the tree. She ducked her head down and played with her fingers in decision. Lola was internally panicking, did she not have a reason? Did Maya say it because she didn't care? "It happened when I was ranting about you." Right away Maya knew Lola was about to take it the wrong way and Lola felt like vibrations of thunder were going off in her heart. 

"Am I-"

"Not the way you think! It was good ranting… really good," Maya whispered the last part, trying to swallow the smile trying to reveal itself. Lola clenched her firsts and closed her eyes. What did that mean? If she knew it was okay to talk about their secret she would've told everyone. "Lola." She opened her eyes to give her attention to the buzz cut girl.

"I don't get it."

"I know you don't," Maya whispered and lifted her shoulder off the tree. She reached her hands out and was able to get them entangled into Lola's hands. "We were talking about you. La mif knows about that night. Except for Eliott. Eliott had to hang out with some Lucas boy."

"When did you ever get the chance?"

"It's when you were with Tiff," Maya answered with hurt in her tone. Or maybe not hurt, Lola was still trying to learn how to read people. 

"You were jealous so you wanted to spill our hang out," Lola assumed and Maya groaned and threw her head back in frustration. "What? Just say i-"

"I love you!"

Oh.

_Ooh._

There was no sound besides some laughing from a distant classroom. Lola's hands started to get warm and now she was scared if Maya could feel her sweaty palms in all its wet galore. Her eyes landing on Maya's lips and both of them were leaning into each other. Maya had a smile peaking at her lips and Lola closed her eyes.

She didn't know who got to the other first, it's like it was synchronized. Maya's lips pressed against hers for a small moment until they created a small distance between each other's lips once again. Lola could tell Maya was holding her breath, waiting for a response back. She gave out a small and light chuckle and dismantled their hands from each other. Maya was about to pull away but Lola got her hands to the back of Maya's head and gave her an even more inviting kiss. Maya was kissing back, why wouldn't she? It was warm and Lola's storm was igniting from the serotonin she gained. Lola scratched lightly at Maya's scalp for more. She could feel Maya's fingers gliding around to wrap around her waist tightly. Maya and Lola parted their lips at the same time-

"Right in front of my salad?" Sekou interrupted and Lola whined and hid herself between Maya's neck and shoulder. "Congrats but the first lunch is starting, so you guys should probably stop having sex in public."

"Sekou!" Maya hissed with wide eyes but not shying away from the grip she had on Lola. "Maybe you should try it. Max sounds like a great option."

"Max?" Lola shot up in confusion. Sekou liked Max?

"Maya that was between you and me!" Sekou argued and got closer to them so they wouldn't shout so loudly.

"Max??" Lola repeated just as loud as her mouth fell open. Maya laughed and Lola felt like there was a rainbow after her storm. Maya looked back at her with a wide smile and started to place kisses all over Lola's face.

_A really bright rainbow._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might make a side series with max and sekou but that's only if I have time (I also have to do some mayla fic prompts)  
> !  
> comments are appreciated and encouraged!  
> criticism is appreciated and encouraged!  
> I might have some plot holes so if you find any, please tell me so I can try and fill them in my possible future fic with Max and Sekou <3  
> (also benny.taxi is left open because I want to use it in the possible future fic)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you have any suggestions, pls comment!  
> kudos and comments are appreciated though 🥺  
> Have a nice day! xx


End file.
